The state Department of Health and Hospitals confirmed 53 new cases Friday for a total of 145 -- the most since 2006. Three people also died from the disease last week, bringing the total to nine.

Those numbers are sobering, although they are not as high as in 2002, the first year that the virus appeared in Louisiana. That year, 328 people became ill and 24 died.

But this year's uptick in activity is still worrisome, and it should prompt people to take commonsense measures to protect themselves from mosquitoes, the carriers of the disease.

Anyone spending time outdoors should wear long sleeves and pants and mosquito repellent containing DEET. Children should use repellents with not more than 30 percent DEET, but the chemical is not recommended for infants younger than 2 months. People should be especially careful at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.

It's also critical to eliminate standing water by emptying flower pots and other containers, cleaning gutters and cleaning and chlorinating pools. Ornamental ponds should be stocked with fish. Those steps will eliminate mosquitoes breeding grounds.

West Nile is a preventable illness, State Health Officer Jimmy Guidry emphasized. People need to take it seriously and protect themselves.